Family Secrets
by Satan'sPixie
Summary: Lily Potter seemed to have it all, but what nobody knew was the REAL state of her marriage. This is the story of how it would affect the canon-story if she had had an affair. LEPxSH, HPx? Please don't flame, I welcome constructive criticism but when people are downright nasty it just annoys me! :-) Rating for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

_**Family Secrets**_

_The middle names that I've used for Sherlock here actually comes from the suggested 'real' name of Sherlock Holmes as mentioned on this website: www . sherlockian-sherlock the-name-of-sherlock-holmes (remove the spaces) I've just moved things around a little bit._

_I __**have**__ used Google translate for part of this, but that's because I don't speak Welsh very well. The use of Welsh will be explained in a later chapter._

_Anything you recognise is not mine_

_**Chapter 1**_

Lily Evans-Potter was loved by most people for her kind ways and her protectiveness over those that she cares about. But Lady Potter had a secret which none of the people who believed that they knew her best realised, her marriage was **not** all sunshine and roses as they expected. True, she loved her husband but had she known what sort of husband he would be before she married him, she probably wouldn't have bothered. James seemed to have ideas about how 'Lady Potter' should act, ideas which did not fit with Lily's personality. She was more opinionated than James would have liked and her temper was more fiery than most people guessed. She completely abhorred the concept that a woman should sit there and look pretty for her husband rather than doing anything productive with her time and many arguments were had over her desire to train as a healer. But Lily's biggest bugbear was James' insistence that she start trying to provide him with a male heir almost immediately after their marriage. She knew that he wasn't a bad person for his views, it was simply how he was raised. But unbeknownst to her, Albus Dumbledore had persuaded James to slip a strong Fertility potion into Lily's food when the young Pureblood had spoken to the aged headmaster about the issue. Had James not listened to Dumbledore, events would not have transpired the way they did.

Lily was currently sat in a high-end cocktail bar in Muggle London, having been stood up by a friend who was meant to have drinks with her. She couldn't really blame Annette, the other woman was a doctor and had been called into work that evening. But it didn't make the situation suck any less. At least she was away from James and his insistence that they try for a child this evening. And she could probably book into a hotel somewhere as she was originally supposed to stay the night with Annette. A male figure sat next to her at the bar and she sighed internally, she'd already had to chase off several men who were intent on bedding her. But the man ignored her and she felt relief bubble up inside her. Deciding to relax a little more she ordered another champagne cocktail and surreptitiously observed the man next to her. He was tall, much taller than James or even Severus, and thin with high cheekbones, wild black curls that contrasted sharply with his pale skin and unusually pale eyes.

"Sherlock Holmes." He said quietly, surprising her.

"Pardon?" She asked, wondering if she'd been caught out.

"My name is Sherlock Holmes, have you quite finished your perusal of me yet? You are not looking for a potential husband as you are already married, and to someone who is evidently very wealthy so why were you examining me, I wonder?" The man, Sherlock Holmes as Lily now knew, said.

"Actually it was out of boredom mainly, I've been here an hour and you are the only man who has come anywhere near me that hasn't tried to seduce me. I was curious." Lily replied with a slightly embarrassed look on her face at being caught. Sherlock looked intrigued.

"And what have you deduced about me Mrs…?" He asked, his face impassive but delight shining in his eyes.

"Potter, Lily Evans-Potter. As to what I have 'deduced' about you, as you put it, well. You're obviously an attractive man but you have no interest in a relationship, something which I gather you must have had to explain to people before. You yourself, come from a family that is wealthy, but you don't tend to use it, preferring instead to find your own way. You have an older sibling whom you don't get along with and that is part of the reason that you don't tend to use your family money. You're well-educated and quite obviously intelligent although you've been in some trouble in the past. Finally, you work with chemicals but you're not a chemist." Lily grinned, loving the opportunity to actually show off her intelligence. Whenever she was around James, she had to dumb down her conversations for him and it was wearing her down.

"Oh well done Mrs Potter! You missed one or two details but overall you did very well." Sherlock smiled, seemingly excited to have another intelligent person to talk to.

"Please, call me Lily." She smiled back.

"Ah, trouble in the marriage. I wonder why you stay with him then, not that I've ever cared about that sort of thing." Sherlock said, surprising Lily.

"Let me guess, the state of my wedding ring and the fact that I requested a total stranger to call me by my first name told you that." Lily sighed, not really wanting to go into her complicated story yet.

"Of course, but I can tell that you don't wish to discuss your failing marriage so I propose a different topic. I've been contemplating finding an assistant and you are the most qualified person whom I've met. Would you be interested?" Sherlock asked, looking intently at her.

"That depends, what do you do?" Lily asked, curious.

"I'm a Consulting Detective, only one in the world, I made the job up. Whenever the Police are out of their depth, which is always, they consult me and I solve the cases." Sherlock replied, hoping that Lily would agree.

"Why not, it sounds like fun!" Lily grinned.

_**Timeskip: 6 Months later…**_

Lily smiled to herself as she left her flat in London, things had changed in the last six months. James had been furious when he found out that she had gotten a job, insisting that no Lady Potter has ever worked. This led to a row during which Lily yelled that she needed some time and space away from him, hence the separate flat in London. She had no doubt that Sherlock knew what had happened but he never brought it up, he merely told her that she could count on his help if she needed it and then returned the conversation to the case they were focused on at the time. Lily found that she loved working with Sherlock on his cases, the exhilaration and mental stimulation was exactly what she was missing. But recently, she had found herself feeling more for her friend than she should. It was easy for her to fall in love with Sherlock, his intelligence and charm putting her at ease with his handsome but unusual features. What was hard was hiding it from him, but to her mind it was for the best. She put all thoughts and doubt out of her mind as she walked swiftly to see Sherlock about a case. The case was a fairly simple one and they solved it quickly before heading back to Sherlock's flat for their usual post-case celebration. This consisted of Chinese food and occasionally a glass of wine. But this time things were different.

The next morning, Lily found herself waking up in Sherlock's arms, her naked body pressed against his own and her head resting against his chest. As memories of the previous night flooded her mind, she shivered as desire for the amazing man holding her flooded through her once more. After that, their dynamic changed slightly. Sherlock was more protective of her, especially when it came to his brother who had tried to warn Lily off, and their post-case celebration usually ended up with them in bed together. Eventually, Sherlock persuaded Lily to move in with him. It made sense as she spent far more time at his flat than at her own, in fact she only went there to pick up her post now.

It was as she was leaving with her things that Albus Dumbledore found her. He had been searching for her ever since she had left James, knowing that he would lose the young Pureblood's loyalty if he didn't.

"Well Lily, I believe that it is time you gave up this foolishness and went home, don't you?" The headmaster said with a twinkle in his eyes. Lily felt nearly frozen in shock and horror and she knew that, no matter what she said now, she would be forced back to James. With that in mind, she took off running, using her new knowledge of London to avoid Dumbledore for a while. She ducked into a public phone booth and phoned the number that she knew off by heart.

"Hello?" Sherlock asked, his deep voice flooding through her and filling her with a wave of love once more.

"Sherlock, it's Lily. An associate of my husband's has found me and I think I'm going to be forced to go back to him. Don't look for me if I don't make it back to you, it'll just get you hurt and I couldn't bear that. Just know that I love you Sherlock, and I always will. Please love, stay safe." She said quickly, not giving him any time to answer before she put the phone down and fled once more, trying desperately to make it to the Leaky Cauldron. She knew that if she could get to Gringotts, she could ask them to help her leave James for good. She nearly made it, she had gotten to the door of the Leaky Cauldron when Dumbledore grabbed her.

"I don't think that would be a very good idea, do you?" He said, his grandfatherly twinkle absent at having to chase her throughout London.

"Please, just let me go! If you do then I can make it so James is free to find a 'proper Lady Potter' as he wishes me to be!" Lily begged desperately.

"I'm sorry my dear, but he has chosen you, you might as well get used to it." Dumbledore replied, apparating her back to Potter Manor.

And so it was that Lily was bound to the manor by magic, the golden chains on her wrist a visual reminder of her entrapment. She now hated her husband, he had refused to let her go when it would be beneficial for the both of them and now served only to make her miserable. He was happier with her though as it seemed that she was pregnant. It never occurred to him that there was a chance that the child was not his, he was too arrogant to even consider the possibility that Lily had found someone else when she had been away.

"Please dear God and Merlin, let this child be Sherlock's. I couldn't bear it if my baby was fathered by my rapist of a husband." She prayed at night when she was alone in her room, tears falling in her misery. James never knew what his wife prayed, he was too busy fulfilling his needs as he put it with other women. Lily's pregnancy was spent in isolation and misery, her only visitor was Poppy Pomfrey who was her chosen healer. And it was Poppy whom she told the whole story to. Poppy agreed to keep Lily's secret but began compiling evidence of James Potter and Dumbledore's deeds in case they ever hurt Lily again.

When Lily went into labour, she refused to allow James into the birthing room, not wanting him anywhere near her. Dumbledore also tried to enter the room but Poppy chased him out but stating that as he was not family, he had no reason to be in there. It was a long labor, but from the moment Lily first saw her son, she knew exactly who his father was. Everything about him, from his pale skin and high cheekbones to the dark curls screamed Sherlock to her and she sent a quick prayer of thanks to whatever deity had listened to her.

"Lily dear, we'll need to let James in soon to keep appearances and name the child." Poppy said gently, knowing how tough it must be for the poor woman to realise that her child might never know its true father.

"I know, but could you make a separate birth certificate now with the correct father put down? I don't think I'll ever get away now but maybe my son will." Lily asked, tears filling her eyes.

"Of course dear, what name shall I put for him?" Poppy asked, spelling a certificate to fill itself in.

"Hadrian Sherlock Emrys Holmes." Lily smiled sadly, holding her beloved son gently.

"And the father's name?" Poppy asked, knowing how difficult it must be for Lily.

"Sherlock William Scott Holmes." Lily said softly, tears pooling in her eyes.

James, of course, decided that the child should be named 'Harry James Potter' after being told that the boy looked like Lily's deceased (and fictional) brother which explained to him why the child didn't look like him.

Lily was gently rocking her son in the nursery of the Potter cottage of Godric's Hollow. Dumbledore had persuaded them to go into hiding as he said that Voldemort wanted to kill the child because of a prophecy but Lily didn't believe him, just because James had bound her to two different Potter properties, didn't mean that she had lost any of her skills of observation and deduction. She knew that he was worried about her son's power levels, especially that it looked as if he would be more powerful than Dumbledore. She had little doubt that Voldemort would turn up, but she believed that Dumbledore had been the one to put a target on their backs.

She knew that if anything happened to her and James, that Dumbledore would send Hadrian to her sister if he survived too and so, before they went into hiding, she made some plans. First she wrote to Petunia, explaining Hadrian's true paternity along with a letter for Sherlock and requested that Petunia locate Sherlock if he was placed with her family. She then wrote to Gringotts to make a separate will to James, requesting that guardianship of Hadrian would go to Sherlock and mentioned that he was Hadrian's true father. James had no idea that Lily was planning on circumventing the will he'd made for the both of them in regards to the guardianship of her son.

Everything started to play out as Dumbledore wished, Voldemort killed James as soon as he entered the house but when he reached the nursery and found Lily with a bag, holding her son, that is where everything changed.

"Well Mudblood, your precious husband is dead, stand aside and let me wipe his spawn from the face of the earth. If you do, I might just let you live." The Dark Lord smirked viciously.

"Please don't hurt my son, take me instead." She begged, wanting no harm to come to Hadrian.

"You silly woman, his father is dead! If you die also then who would take care of him?!" Voldemort said incredulously.

"James Potter is _**not**_ my son's father!" Lily spat angrily, clutching her child closer to her body. She needn't have worried though as her words shocked Voldemort to the point that he wasn't contemplating attacking her.

"The child was fathered by someone else?" He asked quietly, watching her expression intently.

"Yes, Hadrian's father is the man I truly love whom Dumbledore forced me to leave and return to that deceased rapist that dared call himself my husband! If you don't mind, I'd like to return to him and introduce our son to him." Lily replied, leaving her mind open to Legillmency. What Voldemort found in her mind corroborated her story and made him laugh.

"Well that changes his status! I had thought that he was one of the 'Prophecy Children' but if his father isn't James Potter then he can't be!" Voldemort laughed, seemingly pleased that he didn't have to commit infanticide.

"Prophecy Children?" Lily asked, shouldering her bag a bit more thoroughly so she could pick her son up.

"There is a prophecy that foretells my death at the hands of the 'Chosen One', and both your son and that of the Longbottoms were considered as potentials due to them both having parents that each defied me three times. But as your son's real father is a muggle, he has never defied me. Go, and take your son to his father. But be warned, I will only be merciful this once. To ensure the safety of the three of you, you must remain neutral. If either you or your son join the light side, my protection will end." Voldemort said.

"Trust me, after all the 'Light' has done to me, I will _**never **_join them! And I will not allow my son to either! But I wonder if I can request protection for someone else as well, she is the only other person who knows the truth of Hadrian's parentage." Lily asked, gently rocking her son.

"Her name?" Voldemort asked in return.

"Poppy Pomfrey. She's the nurse at Hogwarts. She's stated to me that she's only stayed there to look after the children." Lily replied, hoping that he would agree.

"You need not worry, I had already agreed with her to spare her." Voldemort replied, sending relief flooding through Lily.

"Thank you, she's been a good friend, and I've made allowances with Gringotts for her to be my son's magical guardian if anything ever happens to me." Lily smiled, picking up the bag containing the belongings she wished to take with her.

"This prophecy, are you sure that it isn't something that Dumbledore made up?" Lily asked curiously as she turned back to Voldemort. Most people would be terrified of him, but she had found him to be intelligent and besides, she was a Gryffindor!

"What do you mean?" Voldemort asked.

"I believe that Dumbledore was concerned over my son's power levels and made the prophecy up to get you to kill my baby. Some of the things he said were rather odd and struck me as unusual at the time. It's almost as if he doesn't want anyone to be as powerful as him." Lily explained, gnawing on her lower lip as she thought it through. A flash of light hit Voldemort in the back, downing the Dark Wizard, whose body crumbled to ash as part of his protections against death.

"You are quite right, Mrs. Potter. But now that you know my secret, I'm afraid I must do away with you and the boy." Dumbledore smirked from the doorway, his wand aimed at her now.

"Dumbledore, I would leave my son and I alone if I were you. If you do not, then I swear to God and Merlin that you _**will**_ regret it!" Lily snarled, holding Hadrian close. Dumbledore ignored her, however and aimed an _Avada Kedavra_ at her son first. Quickly Lily sprung into action to ensure that her son would survive.

"Gwirodydd y ddaear a'r awyr,  
>Erfyniaf arnoch i glywed fy ple!<br>Amddiffyn fy mhlentyn ,  
>Y gallai fod yn dilyn eich cyfreithiau!<br>Gwirodydd o'r fflam tonnau ac ,  
>Lend eich cymorth i achub fy mab ,<br>Y gallai fod ddial fi!" She called, as a red, green, blue and yellow glow surrounded Hadiran. The curse hit the child before being rebounded away. Dumbledore dodged as he sent another curse, this time towards Lily. When the red-headed witch was lying lifeless, Dumbledore picked up the child, looking at him with disdain.

"I don't know what your mother did to protect you, but perhaps we can find another use for you. For now, I believe that you must go to your aunt's, I'm sure there you'll grow up nice and humble." Dumbledore said, putting the child in the crib and destroying much of the house before leaving. He then contacted Hagrid, asking him to remove the child and meet him at Petunia Dursley's home the next evening.

Minerva McGonagall had already heard about Lily and James' deaths and had been observing the Dursley family all day by the time that Dumbledore arrived. With a mental sigh, he reassured her before Hagrid arrived with the child. With a great show of gentleness even though he wanted to do nothing of the sort, Dumbledore laid the blanket covered child on the doorstep with a letter for Petunia.

So it was, that Petunia Dursley found her nephew on her doorstep the next morning when she went to fetch the milk, her scream of surprise waking her husband...


	2. Chapter 2

_**Family Secrets**_

_Thanks go out to: abby1006, STP7-10SPLIT, metrokid1981, IVANHOE, leen01, washingtongurrl, lilou5701, Casse01, shagggy, darkyshana, stardustreader, Vi38, blackwolfgirl88, Constance Truggle, bloody-black-lion, bevfan2, , Mainsail, frannienzbabe, shadow7564, curlup2cuddle, kate1243, Sillage, Itachisgirl88, Far Away In Wonderland, Ju du Nord, EmmaM21, Yoruko Rhapsodos, Lady Vonda, The American Psycho, Treebrooke, shadow-warrior93, Ehzzu, fishesforwishes, Niamh O'Leary, softdeepgrey, Reaumur, Nerd-in-a-book, Barren Chasm, puparoo13, MelindaLove, thegoldfishassassin, kittykat9628, Seravonijia d'Felys, Miyako Yukimura, DIAlecHotty, Tenshi01, Mari Wollsch, aj13walker, PuppyProngs, MarieVerdonck, Angel4EverLostInLife, wolfgirl4554, LucediDio, KitKat05, jenn008, Sarah Riddle Potter, Lion of the Mountain, HIM399131 and 3 'guests'. By the way, one of the guest reviews has guessed a part of the plot already! Also I need some idea of who you want Harry/Hadrian to be with so I'm accepting suggestions. The only characters I won't consider are Hermione, Ginny, Ron or any of the Weasleys I'm afraid as I have plans for those characters already. _

_I've just gotten the best news for Sherlock fans, especially those in the UK, there's talk of a theme park that's being planned in Kent having Sherlock-themed attractions, how __**AWESOME**_ _is that?!_

_Also, this is set after series 3 of 'Sherlock' as I __**REALLY**_ _don't want to have to to 'The Reichenbach Fall' as I __**HATE**_ _that episode!_

_Anything you recognise is not mine._

_**Chapter 2**_

Once Petunia had reassured Vernon that she was alright, the two adult Dursleys were sat in their living room with their nephew and son.

"Pet, this letter says that we need to keep the boy here." Vernon said moodily after reading the letter as his wife held the two boys on her lap.

"Well we will for a few days, but before Lily was forced into hiding, she sent me a letter explaining. Hadrian here is **not** the child of her husband, she had actually tried to leave him but was forced to remain married to him. She had fallen in love with someone else during the only separation she had managed to have with him and that relationship resulted in Hadrian." Petunia replied, watching as Dudley and Hadrian seemed to be examining each other with great interest. Petunia gave a fond smile as she remembered Lily and herself doing something similar when they were little.

"How do you know that this 'Sherlock Holmes' will just accept that Hadrian is his son? How do you know that we haven't just had the boy dumped on us?" Vernon asked, still a bit moody. It wasn't that he didn't want to care for his nephew, he just didn't like the choice being taken away from him. Had he been asked previously, he would have agreed, especially as Hadrian was a quiet and pleasant child.

"Lily was sure of his feelings for her, and my sister was a good judge of character. She was fond of that Snape boy and he adored her up until the point when he went to live with relatives after his mother died. And _**if**_ he won't accept Hadrian, then we will raise him. I'm not abandoning my sister's child!" Petunia said firmly.

"Pet, I didn't mean it like that. I just don't like having the choice taken away from me." Vernon sighed.

In the end, it only took two days before Sherlock Holmes was available to see them. And so, with Hadrian and Dudley both dressed warmly in Dudley's clothes (Petunia had been furious that no one had thought to leave Hadrian with anything of his own) they set off to London for their meeting with Hadrian's real father. Dudley was a little bit fussy, almost as if he knew that he was going to be separated from his cousin. Even though Hadrian had only been with them for a short time, the two cousins had grown close. Petunia worried that Dudley would continue crying for the whole journey until Hadrian placed his hand on Dudley's arm, quieting his cousin. Seeing the sweet scene before her, Petunia hoped that they would be able to keep contact with her nephew if he did go to live with his father.

When they arrived at the address provided, 221 Baker Street, Petunia and Vernon were surprised. While pleasant looking, it wasn't the sort of street they expected someone like Sherlock Holmes to live on. Each giving a mental shrug, they collected the children from the car, Petunia carrying Dudley while Vernon held Hadrian. An older woman answered the door when they rang the bell, and smiled warmly at the two children although she was surprised at Hadrian's appearance. When they told her that they had an appointment with Sherlock, she immediately led them upstairs.

"I don't normally do this of course, I mean, I'm his landlady, not his housekeeper." She said to Petunia as they walked up the stairs to a second-floor flat.

Sherlock was sat in an armchair, his hands together in front of him, and when they entered he looked up at them. In that moment, Petunia could see why Lily had fallen in love with this man so quickly, he was very handsome (even if his curiously coloured eyes seemed to be gazing right through you) and cut a striking figure in his tailored suit.

"Mr and Mrs Dursley, I presume." He said in his deep voice as he raised an eyebrow at the appearance of the children.

"Yes, I apologise for bringing the children, we couldn't find a babysitter that we trusted enough and considering why we're here, it felt more appropriate to bring them." Petunia smiled, as they took a seat at Sherlock's indication.

"Yes, about why you're here, your email wasn't very forthcoming on the details. May I ask what issue is so secret and important that you could not put it into an email?" Sherlock asked as Mrs Hudson left them to it. Petunia sighed sadly.

"Mr Holmes, do you possibly remember a woman by the name of Lily Evans-Potter?" She said softly, watching his reaction. Sherlock stiffened.

"How do you know that name?" He asked, his eyes narrowing and flashing dangerously.

"Lily was my younger sister, she sent me a letter about you a few months ago Mr Holmes explaining briefly that she had had a relationship with you. If it makes you feel any better, she hadn't wanted to leave you at all and loved you until she died." Petunia explained, tears filling her eyes at the thought of her sister. Sherlock closed his eyes briefly.

"I had hoped that she would escape her brute of a husband and make it back to me. If only she'd come straight to me when his associates found her, I would have been able to protect her! But you haven't explained what issue is so important that you have dredged up the past." He said, sadness flowing through him as he thought of the woman he had loved.

"I think you should read this letter from Lily, she asked that I give it to you after her death." Petunia replied, handing over the thick parchment envelope. Hiding his eagerness to read the letter, Sherlock carefully opened it and let his eyes sweep across the last words Lily would say to him.

'_My dearest Sherlock,_

_If you are reading this then I am dead and I never managed to escape James. For the longest time, he has been my husband in name only and I despise the very mention of him. He has no consideration of my wishes and feelings and he proved that quite well when he started taking other women to his bed, not that I am complaining as the more of them he slept with, the less I had to endure him._

_But this letter is not merely to gripe about James Potter, I have something important to tell you. Sherlock, when they took me back, I was pregnant. I didn't know it at the time or I would have told you. When I first arrived back with James, he used a ritual to bind me to two different Potter properties, meaning that I would be trapped until he died. After that he forced himself upon me multiple times. I'm sorry I had to tell you this, my love._

_It was upon the discovery that I was pregnant that James started taking other women to his bed and I spent my pregnancy mostly in isolation although my midwife, a lovely woman named Poppy Pomfrey, visited regularly to check up on me. She knows the full truth about us and agreed to keep our secret. Throughout my pregnancy I prayed that the child would be yours and not James' although I would have still loved my son. Imagine my joy mixed with sadness when Hadrian was born and I saw that you were indeed his father. I named Poppy and Petunia as his godmothers and your brother and an old friend of mine named Severus Snape as his godfathers. James wasn't in the birthing room so Poppy managed to fill out a correct birth certificate for our son which I have provided with this letter, his true name is Hadrian Sherlock Emrys Holmes._

_Our son is powerful Sherlock, and Albus Dumbledore is worried about his power. We are being made to go into hiding with James and I have a bad feeling that something is going to happen. In that instance, Dumbledore will place Hadrian with my sister and her family, hoping that he will be abused. He doesn't know that I reconnected with her while I was with you. Please Sherlock, raise our son to be the man I know he can be, a man as wonderful as you._

_With all my love,_

_Lily_'

When he had finished reading the letter, Sherlock stared at it for a few seconds before turning back to the Dursleys and observing both children. One was obviously the Dursley's son but the other made Sherlock nearly gasp. The child had the exact same high cheekbones as him as well as the same cupid's bow mouth and wildly curling hair. From Lily, the child had received her nose and eyes in a beautiful shade of emerald green. Hadrian, 'My son!' Sherlock though, was gazing at him with a piercing expression similar to one he used himself. A slight smile graced his features at the sight of that familiar expression on the face of another. Hadrian began to wriggle to get out of Vernon's arms, reaching for Sherlock who allowed Vernon to place the young child in his arms.

"Thank you for keeping your promise to Lily." Sherlock said quietly as he held Hadrian close to him, he'd never really thought of having children before but he found that he rather liked having a small child who was a mixture of him and Lily in his arms.

"I _**did**_ love my sister, I wish she'd never met James Potter, in the end he only brought her misery. I hope you'll let us keep in contact, Mr Holmes, Dudley is rather fond of his cousin." Petunia smiled wistfully.

"I would be offended if you didn't wish to have contact with my son as Lily chose you as one of Hadrian's godmothers." Sherlock replied with a smirk

In the end it was agreed that Hadrian would stay for another couple of days with the Dursley family while Sherlock prepared a room for him. He also needed to tell the rest of his family that Lily had given him a son. Sherlock knew that while it would be a surprise, especially for his older brother Mycroft, that they would be pleased for him and would support him if he needed it. Mrs Hudson, of course, would be ecstatic that there would be a child around the place and she would no doubt spoil Hadrian rotten given half the chance.

True to his prediction, his family rallied round to help him get everything ready for Hadrian's arrival. Mycroft had been somewhat bemused when he was told that Lily had named him as one of Hadrian's godfathers as she had only met him once. It was even more surprising that their cousin had been named Hadrian's other godfather. Not many people in Wizarding Britain knew that the Holmes family was a Wizarding one but that was because traditionally every Holmes studied at Beauxbatons Academy in France. Severus' mother was actually Lady Holmes' sister and upon her death when he was fourteen, he had been sent to live with his cousins as his father was found to have been abusive towards them both. When Severus heard that the child he had thought of as James Potter's son was actually Sherlock's, all hatred that he had been preparing to have simply left him. Most of his peers from Hogwarts assumed that Severus had been in love with Lily, but that was not the case. She was his dearest friend and they had faked the falling out to get the other Gryffindors off her back about being friends with a Slytherin. In actual fact, Severus had begun seeing Élodie Delacroix, one of Sherlock's peers from Beauxbatons, when they were sixteen. In fact, he and Élodie were set to marry in a few months time. Knowing that Lily's son most likely wouldn't be going to Hogwarts, Severus had no qualms turning down Albus Dumbledore's job offer in favour of doing his own private research. Of course, the manipulative old man had tried to guilt him into accepting the position but stopped short when Severus mentioned Élodie.

"But my boy, what about Lily?" The aged headmaster had spluttered in disbelief, he'd assumed that Severus was in love with Lily and some of his plans revolved around that.

"She was my dearest friend and like a sister to me. Dear me headmaster, you weren't one of the people who believed me to be in love with her were you?" Severus replied with a smirk, he loved disrupting preconceived notions.

"And what about Lily and James' son, surely you wish to be at Hogwarts to protect him?" Dumbledore asked, trying a new angle.

"Oh, I'm sure that Lily's son will be perfectly fine without me here, he might even benefit more if I wasn't a teacher here." Severus replied almost flippantly, revealing nothing about Hadrian's true parentage. Knowing that he was beaten, Dumbledore gave up but kept giving him disappointed looks in the hope that Severus would feel guilty. But there was no such luck for Albus Dumbledore that day.

It was about a week after Hadrian had come to live with Sherlock that Élodie visited to meet her new 'neveu' as she called Hadrian. It wasn't the first time that she had visited and Mrs Hudson greeted her eagerly when she opened the door to her. When Élodie entered the living room of 221B, she couldn't help but smile at the sight which met her eyes. Sherlock was sat in his armchair with Hadrian in his lap and a copy of 'TinTin: Le Secret de la Licorne et Le Tésor de Rackham le Rouge' open which he was reading to the small child from in fluent French.

"I don't understand why Sherlock's starting him with French now, he hasn't started speaking yet." Mrs Hudson whispered so as not to disturb their story time.

"Ah, but Mrs 'udson, leetle Adrien is an 'olmes, eet ees een 'is blood to be fluent een both French and English." Élodie replied with a smile. Throughout her relationship with Severus, she had had a front row seat to Sherlock playing many roles with ease but she couldn't help but feel that the role of 'father' suited him very well, much better than some of his others.

It didn't take long for Sherlock to notice them, and he nodded while finishing the page they were on. Hadrian scowled slightly, showing his disapproval of the story stopping in the middle. He rather liked listening to his father's deep voice as he read a story to him.

"We can carry on reading later, little one, but for now we have a guest." Sherlock chuckled at his son's protest.

Hadrian seemed to have a knack for charming people and Élodie was no exception. It was while she was cuddling Hadrian and chattering to him in a mix of French and English that Greg Lestrade turned up. The detective inspector hadn't been to ask for Sherlock's help since before he had found about Hadrian. As such, Greg wasn't aware that Sherlock had a son and so, when faced with a child that looked an awful lot like the Consulting Detective, his brain seemed to stop for a moment.

"Yes Lestrade, Hadrian is my son. Can we get to why you came here?" Sherlock asked impatiently.

"Right, yes, I wanted your opinion on these marking we found on a body." Greg said finally, pulling out some photos. He was still having trouble getting permission for Sherlock to be consulted on any cases let alone being allowed onto any crime scenes after the Magnussen incident. But even his 'superiors' were confused by some of these markings and agreed that Sherlock could be consulted.

Sherlock checked that Hadrian was engrossed with Élodie's conversation before he looked eagerly at the pictures. Each body had been strangled to death before a line, a circle and a 'U' were carved into their chests, just over their heart. Seeing the carvings, caused a random memory to flash into Sherlock's brain, of having tea with Moriarty and the apple with 'I O U' bitten into it.

"Moriarty…" Sherlock whispered as apprehension flooded his very being. Greg looked alarmed as Sherlock spoke.

"But he's dead, you told everyone what really happened on that rooftop. How could he have survived that?" Greg asked quietly.

"Easy, he could have used a stage prop as the gun, it would make the sound but cause no damage. Next he'd need a blood pack on the back of his head, possibly with a mechanism to make it burst in a similar manner to a gunshot wound. He'd be able to learn how to properly do a stage fall quite easily." Sherlock explained, busily texting his brother at the perceived new threat not only to himself and his friends but also to his son.

"But surely you'd have seen it before!" Greg exclaimed, feeling a bit confused. Sherlock glanced at him.

"I will admit that I _**was**_ a bit panicked at the time, I had just been told that my friends would be shot unless I killed myself or Moriarty called them off. Seeing him shoot himself was enough to drive the possibility that he somehow survived out of my mind." Sherlock explained, reading Mycroft's reply. Not many knew just how vindictive Mycroft could be when someone caused his family some harm but Moriarty would learn that the hard way.

"So what do we do?" Greg asked, glancing at Élodie with curiosity in his eyes.

"We wait, my brother has some of his best people looking for Moriarty. Let him know what it's like to be hunted for a while. I'm going to concentrate on keeping my son safe." Sherlock replied, standing and collecting Hadrian from Élodie and turning to his old friend.

"Élodie, I need to to tell Severus that an old adversary of mine has resurfaced so I might need some help with protecting my son." He said calmly as he held Hadrian to him. Élodie stood and nodded.

"Of course Sherlock, you and Adrien are still coming to ze wedding, non?" She smiled waving lightly to Hadrien.

"Bien sûr. Nous serons là." Sherlock replied, the French coming easily to him.

"Au revoir, mon cousin d'être." Élodie smiled as she kissed both his cheeks goodbye and left. Greg was staring incredulously at him when Sherlock turned back to the detective inspector.

"What is it?" Sherlock asked with an internal sigh.

"Who was she? And since when do you speak French?" Greg asked, his brain finally reconnecting.

"Her name is Élodie Delacroix, she's an old school friend of mine and engaged to my cousin. As for speaking French, I've been speaking it since I was a child, my family have gone to school in France for generations so we learn French early on. Greg, it doesn't really matter about any of that right now, you'll probably be whisked off to a meeting with my brother not long after you leave here so I really can't see how any of this information is important." Sherlock said almost dismissively as Hadrian examined Greg before pointing at him.

"'Croft!" He said in his childlike way. Sherlock looked surprised before grinning and nodding.

"Greg, my brother will probably be getting impatient. It might be wise if you headed off now." Sherlock said, hiding his grin from Greg. While it was a surprise, it might actually do Greg and Mycroft good. Sherlock knew that when Hadrian was finally talking properly, he would be able to tell them what had happened to his mother. The Consulting Detective had already asked the child if he could remember and Hadrian had nodded sadly. It had taken a lot of stories for Hadrian to be able to sleep that night...


	3. Chapter 3

_**Family Secrets**_

_Thanks to: kate1243, abby1006, Emdee, Angel4EverLostInLife, FlopsyTheStingyDingo, Mytryk, MelindaLove, terfa, Wiuwi, Constance Truggle, MeanwhileInKansas, Yoruko Rhapsodos, anon940, milenatik, Casse01, mexchica228, aesmith22, Vi38, Assassin Master Uzumaki, Little Green Faerie Of Doom, soprano-in-waiting, tasneembhuiyan, Stargone12, amac90uk, mitchie67, xDarklightx, Phantom Trainer, Fandom Feathers, sarahmaria98, ashleymariestel, Galianna, pinkmonkey36, REd Empire, cuterchic419, .50, Sakura Lisel, Schattenreiter, Phantom Trainer, Rawdha, Black Sparrow, klinde6354, P-Webes, allietheepic7, .X, Cassandra-Luna-Bellatrix-Snape, Grey-Rain-Cloud, Jade Aislin, igotmoneymoney, kuromerukaki, mishuu, griffincub, Daomarik, CauldronCalamity, Rikkie, JunoirShadow1711, icyquest4, jenn008, TWLOHA26, koldy, AmarisPale, Necromancer72, artsycherry, All The Pretty Horses, Kurogami Mika, Angelisa McKaine, CatGirl04, ChiisaiPanda, UEAcon, jenniebennie, Sorrow7e, geetac, Tsukiyoukai, hiddenshade knownwitch, bkcgirl, The Pencil Goddess, Vegasman59, Bearinmyoatmeal1, J. , whogirl1993, nekoeye, lean238, Until I Remember My Name, Chibisuka6, Dzykishi, bexi2010, Rhysel Ash, SevenBlackRoses, HeavensDemonHellsAngel, BrokenMirror97, Am0rtentiaP0ti0n, Renee20061918, Hecate91, MidnightFlame13968. Doctor394, avacadopie, stefanialilly, melbgirl, wdlwbt, weaver yk, Spitfire17268, Irishdanceringrulz1776 and redstickbonbon._

_Hey guys! I'm back from my Christmas holiday! I hope you all had a great Winter Holiday and a Happy New Year! I know I'm several weeks late but I've had quite a bit going on so I'm really sorry! But hopefully the fact that it's a long chapter will make up for it._

_I just want to give a shout out to the other Sherlock Sheep who've said that they want to read this story._

_The first person to get the film reference get's a shout out next chapter._

_I'm still taking suggestions for who to pair Harry with so let me know your thoughts!_

_Anything you recognise is not mine._

_**Chapter 3**_

True to little Hadrian's prediction, Mycroft and Greg soon became an item. This meant that the truth about magic could be revealed to him, thus explaining how Sherlock had survived jumping off a building (he'd apparated to a safe location while a couple of feet off the ground, not a feat he wished to attempt again) and giving Hadrian another layer of protection. Once the story of Lily and Sherlock's relationship was revealed to him, Greg was fully behind the family's attempts to keep Hadrian away from Dumbledore. The poor Detective Inspector was horrified that someone would force a woman to stay with a man she didn't love.

Less than three months after Mycroft and Greg started their relationship, Severus and Élodie got married at the Holmes family home in France. The pair were frequent visitors to Baker street, and were often the ones that Hadrian wished to look after him while Sherlock was off solving a case. It was shortly after his second birthday that the family increased in size. Not many people knew that Severus' father was a muggle but one day, Severus received word that his muggle cousin and her husband had died in a car accident, leaving their two-year-old daughter with no other family. Of course, even if the little girl had somewhere else to go, Severus and Élodie would still have adopted her as the little girl was showing strong signs of magic.

When Hadrian first met Hermione Granger, soon to be Hermione Snape, they became instant best friends. In many ways they were more like siblings than cousins. As they grew older, it became obvious that Hadrian was very protective of her, much like Sherlock was with anyone he considered friends and family. Mycroft, of course, ensured that Hermione would have a place at Beauxbatons when the time came. He didn't want to deal with the tantrum which would ensue if Hadrian found out that she might not go to the same school as him.

_**Timeskip: 9 years**_

Hadrian woke slowly, relishing the rare opportunity that he didn't have a case. He'd been seven when he first started helping his father with cases, normally from the safety of Baker street but occasionally he was allowed to go to crime scenes. Lately things had been a little quiet, only a few cases in London and even fewer outside of it. There wasn't even anything new from Moriarty. The psychopathic criminal tended to resurface every six months or so, always in a different part of the country (although he generally avoided London) and commit some crime, almost as if he was reminding Sherlock that he was still out there.

As his brain kicked into gear, it struck Hadrian that it was his 11th birthday, he would finally receive his letter from Beauxbatons where he would be going to school with Hermione in September. Maybe he could persuade his father to take him to Diagon Alley to get some school supplies. Hadrian grinned to himself as he rose and dressed in a style very similar to his father. The years had only increased his resemblance to Sherlock, although he had kept his mother's eyes and nose.

Sherlock was always reluctant to go to Diagon Alley, there was always someone there who tried to get him involved in the war on either side before Lily's death, and after Hadrian had come to live with him, he seemed to be almost mobbed by fortune-hunting witches who used his status as a single parent as an attempted route into a marriage with him.

True to Sherlock's prediction, he was mobbed, although a few of them were mothers, looking to enter their daughters into marriage contracts with Hadrian. It was just after Sherlock had rebuffed some shrill shrew whose last name was Wezley or something, that they were approached by someone they were rather more pleased to see.

"Hadrian!" Hermione called, rushing up to her friend and hugging him while Severus and Élodie followed at a more sedate pace.

"Snape! I should have known you'd poke your overly large nose in at some point! Let me guess, you wish to arrange a match between your spawn and the Holmes heir!" The redheaded harpy spat angrily. Severus merely looked uninterestedly at her.

"Actuellement madame, no member of zee 'Olmes family 'as ever 'ad an arranged marriage. Zey always marry for love." Élodie said patiently.

"Who asked you, you French tart?" was the angry reply, causing everyone in their small family to narrow their eyes angrily.

"Molly Weasley! Might I remind you that _**you**_ are the one who was caught using love potions to have multiple relationships while in school! If anyone here is a tart, it is you! Élodie is, and always will be, a lady of the highest caliber." Severus snarled, his magic crackling in anger.

"Of course you would believe that old Pureblood crap!" Molly replied, her face nearly as red as her hair.

"Actually...Milly, was it?..you've completely misunderstood Severus' meaning. When he said that Élodie is a lady, he was referring to the fact that she does not feel the need to scream or insult people in the middle of a busy street." Sherlock input, smirking as he deliberately used the wrong name. He turned to Severus and Élodie. "Why don't you three join Hadrian and I? I was going to take him to get his wand." He said, completely ignoring the fuming woman behind him. The five of them had started to move away before Molly Weasley regained enough composure to reply.

"It's Molly!" She screeched before dragging her daughter off towards Gringotts.

Of course, the only place in Diagon Alley to get a wand is Ollivander's. Ollivander himself was old even when Sherlock had been Hadrian's age but Sherlock knew that some of the best wands in the UK came from this little shop. It was as dimly lit as Sherlock remembered but neither child seemed apprehensive at the low lighting.

"Ah, I was expecting you two at some point." An eerie voice said from the darkness behind the counter. It was, of course, Olivander who seemed to materialise from the darkness although Sherlock had his suspicions as to how it was achieved. The elderly wandmaker gazed intensely at Sherlock for a moment.

"Mr Sherlock Holmes, Acacia and Cedar wood with a dragon heartstring from a Northern Fire Drake. 14 inches and excellent for defensive magic if I remember. One of my more specially made wands." Ollivander said and he directed Hadrian to hold his wand arm out. Sherlock nodded in acknowledgement. While the enchanted tape measured Hadiran, Olivander turned to fetch a few wand boxes.

"I remember when your mother came in for her wand, Mr Hadrian Holmes. 10 ¼ inches, willow with Unicorn tail hair, swishy and very good for charms. She would be proud at how you've flourished with your father. Now then, let's try this one: 11 inches Holly and Phoenix feather, nice and supple." Ollivander shooed the tape measure away and handed the wand to Hadrian to try. Red electric sparks shot out and destroyed a vase on the counter.

"No, not that one. That's _one_ of Albus Dumbledore's plots which are thankfully derailed. Try this one: 10 ½ inches Elm and Phoenix feather, strong but supple." Ollivander smiled, as Sherlock exchanged glances with Severus and Élodie. As soon as Hadrian touched the wand, he felt a stinging shock hit his hand and he dropped the wand with an exclamation.

"Definitely not _that_ core then, although the wood seems suitable. I wonder…" Ollivander mused as he caught the wand and replaced it in its box. He wandered back to the racks containing wand boxes and searched for a few minutes before pulling one out and blowing dust off of its cover.

"I created this wand many years ago, and it's considered one of my best. 13 ½ inches, Elm and Walnut blended with a core of a heartstring from a Rare Welsh Red dragon, a powerful wand which is also capable of great subtlety and extraordinary feats when under stress." Ollivander looked mysterious as he handed the wand to Hadrian, instantly a warmth spread through the boy with green, silver, blue and gold sparks shooting from the tip of the wand and repairing the vase on the counter. Ollivander clapped in delight.

"Perfect! I'd almost given up hope of finding someone suitable for it! Let's help your young lady friend." Ollivander smiled as he turned towards Hermione, Severus and Élodie.

"Ah! Severus Snape! 13 ¾ inches, Ebony and Walnut with a Common Welsh Green heartstring! I do not recognise your wife though, she must not have one of mine." Ollivander said.

"Non, my wand was made by Monsieur Andre Duval." Élodie replied with a smile.

"Ah, Monsieur Duval! I often find that he uses cores which can be rather temperamental if the wrong witch or wizard attempts to use it. I believe he tends to favour Veela, High Elf and Siren although I could be wrong." Ollivander mused as he set the tape measure measuring Hermione's wand arm before fetching a few wand boxes.

"Non, you are correct. My wand core is zat of a siren." Élodie replied with a smile.

"Ah, yes, from what I hear they are very good cores for charms and distraction magic although not so good for silent casting. Well, young lady, let's try you with this one first shall we? 10 inches, Ivy vine with Unicorn hair." Ollivander handed Hermione a wand and deactivated the tape measure. It turned out that Hermione was _not_ suited to either component of that wand. Nor was she suited to Holly or Oak as wand woods. Finally, she found her match in a 12 ½ inch wand made of Alder and Beech wood with the heartstring from an Antipodean Opaleye dragon as its core.

Finally done with the school shopping, both families arranged to meet up soon and they went their separate ways. The Snape family to pack for a holiday in France with Élodie's family, and the Holmes' to visit John's family.

Explaining Hadrian to John had been interesting when Sherlock had first received custody of him, but the ex-army doctor could see that fatherhood suited Sherlock. Mary adored her 'nephew' who was a perfect playmate for her and John's daughter, Lily. The two grew up as cousins and while Lily sometimes got on better with Hermione, she and Hadrian were still very close. That closeness was due to be tested soon as Lily was to go to Hogwarts rather than Beauxbatons. Both Sherlock and Mycroft had offered to get her a place at the French school, but Mary and John both insisted that they were fine, especially after Mary had revealed herself to be a witch who went to Hogwarts.

"According to Mum, there are four houses at Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. She told me that she was a Slytherin while there which is the house for the cunning. She reckons that Dad would have been in Gryffindor, the house for the brave or a Hufflepuff which is for the hardworking. She says that your dad would have been in Ravenclaw if he'd gone to Hogwarts rather than Beauxbatons." Lily explained while she and Hadrian were talking in her room.

"So which one do you reckon you'll be in?" He asked. Lily thought for a few moments.

"Honestly, I think I'll be either a Ravenclaw or a Slytherin, it all depends on where the cut off points are for the attributes. I think I'd prefer to be a Ravenclaw though, according to Mum, the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin is quite fierce." She replied.

Meanwhile, the adults were talking about Albus Dumbledore in the kitchen.

"Are you sure?" Mary asked, concern for her daughter flooding through her.

"That's what Ollivander said, that one of Dumbledore's plots has been derailed. I suspect that Dumbledore has somehow put a tracker on that particular wand as he will have realised now that Petunia, Vernon and Dudley have moved and that Hadrian hasn't lived with them for years." Sherlock nodded, taking a sip of tea.

"Will Lily be alright there?" John asked, looking worried.

"As long as Dumbledore doesn't realise her connection to Hadrian, she'll be fine. But just in case, I'll ask Mycroft to contact an acquaintance of his. Lucius Malfoy has a son who'll be going to Hogwarts this year. He'll keep an eye out for her." Sherlock replied, pulling out his phone and texting his brother with the request. It wasn't long before Mycroft replied that he would ask Lucius but the Malfoy lord would probably wish to meet the family first.

Weeks later, when the Malfoy family met the Watsons, Draco and Lily hit it off straight away. Part of that could have been that they shared a common intelligence or it could have been that, while Lily didn't know much about Dragons (Draco's favourite creature), she was willing to learn as much as she could about them. Adding Hadrian and Hermione to the mix just aided the friendship between the children and Lucius expressed a sense of pleasure over his best friend's daughter getting along with his own son.

The children didn't realise it, but the meeting created an opportunity for the adults to create an alliance. True, the Malfoy family had been on the side of the Dark Lord but when Sherlock revealed what Hadrian remembered about the night his mother died and Lily Evans' plans to leave James for him, Lucius agreed that an alliance would be a fine idea, especially as it would create an extra layer of protection for each of the children.

Far too soon for the children's liking, the 1st of September soon rolled around and with it came the time for them to separate and go to school. Each of them promised to write regularly and Lily and Draco promised to tell their friends what houses they were in immediately. Hermione and Hadrian didn't start school until the next week so they were going to spend some time with Élodie's family as it would be easier for them to get to school that way. The Watsons and the Malfoys met each other at Kings Cross but before they could go through the barrier, they encountered a family whom Sherlock had warned them about. Molly Weasley (or as Lily and Draco resolved to call her 'Milly Wezley') seemed to be looking about intently for someone, muttering about how Dumbledore had told her that he would be there. But two of her children, a set of twins, were giving her a disgusted look for what she was saying as did a little blonde girl who was with them. Finally, the twins had enough and turned to go through the barrier.

"Fred! George! Where do you think you're going?!" She screeched, turning to glare at them.

"We're going to find Lee. He wanted to show us something before the train left." One of them replied, looking mutinous.

"Oh no you don't! Professor Dumbledore told us to find Harry and align him with our family before he gets to Hogwarts." The harpy screeched again.

"Come off it! According to you, Ron and Ginny are the ones who'll be most closely linked with him, so why is it _that_ important that we stay here?" The other one asked, a gleam in his eyes.

"Well, I suppose you two can go. But mind you don't get in the way of Ron and Ginny getting to know Harry Potter. Ginny needs to get to know her future husband and Ron needs to become the boy's best friend. And take Luna with you!" Molly replied, allowing her twins to go. What none of the other Weasleys saw were the matching sneers on the twins' faces as they glanced one final time at their family before they swiftly went through the barrier, each of them helping the blonde girl through as well. The Watsons and the Malfoys quickly pushed past the obnoxious woman who glared at them for daring to want to get to the platform but didn't try to move out of their way. As soon as they reached the platform, John grasped Lily's shoulder to stop her getting swept away by the crowd of people and Draco stepped closer to his father to prevent the same. It didn't take long for them to get near the train and, as the whistle to remind the children to board went, the Malfoy and Watson parents gave their children a final hug and some final advice before helping them to board the train. Draco and Lily found an empty compartment and soon settled down to wait for the train to leave. Almost as soon as it set off, their compartment door opened and the two youngest Weasleys poked their heads in. Upon seeing Draco sat with Lily they both sneered.

"Why're you sat with _Malfoy_? Don't you know that he's scum?" The boy asked with a sneer at Draco.

"Excuse me?" Lily asked, almost incredulous at his rudeness.

"Yeah, he's gonna be a Slytherin and they're all evil scum!" The boy added while the girl looked uninterested.

"Actually, my mother was a Slytherin so I'll thank you not to insult her." Lily snapped, looking cross.

"It's a proven fact that all Slytherins are evil and hate anything to do with Muggles! You must hate them too then!" The boy snarled, turning his hatred on Lily.

"Wrong, I'm afraid! My father is a Muggle. Maybe you should get your facts straight before slandering people with your bigotist crap!" Lily snarled, glaring at the boy who turned red. His sister rolled her eyes.

"Let's just go Ron, they're not worth our time. Harry's not here and I doubt either of them know where he is." She said, pulling on her brother's arm.

"You're right Ginny, we don't need to waste our time on two Snakes!" Ron replied, before following Ginny away. Lily and Draco just looked at each other in surprise, almost unbelieving that someone could be so stupid.

Shortly after, there was a tap on the door and the Weasley twins entered with Luna following nervously.

"Hi, you don't know us but we just wanted to say sorry for our siblings. We overheard them boasting about insulting the two of you. I'm Fred and this is my brother George. Behind us is Luna Lovegood." One of the twins said politely.

"A pleasure to meet someone who actually _has_ manners! Why don't you three sit with us." Lily smiled, gesturing to the spare seats.

"We would, but Fred and I need to find out if our moronic siblings have actually found Harry Potter and send someone to rescue him is necessary. But if it's ok, could we leave Luna here? If Ron and Ginny start anything with us then we don't want her getting hurt by them." George smiled back.

"Sure, but I doubt your siblings would have found him." Draco said, smiling welcomingly at Luna. Lily and Draco found Luna to be a bit shy but once she warmed to them she began chatting to them about her father and how she would search for unusual creatures with him most holidays.

"Although we couldn't this year as Daddy isn't well. That's why I'm coming to Hogwarts a year early, he's spending most of his time in St. Mungo's and there's noone to look after me." Luna said, sadness tingin her voice. Neither of the others said anything but Lily hugged Luna. Fred and George soon came back and joined them.

"We found Ron and Ginny, they were sat on their own complaining that Harry didn't seem to be anywhere on the train. Do you two know something?" Fred asked after shutting the door and putting a silencing charm on it. Lily and Draco looked at each other before grinning.

"Well, I _might_ know that Harry Potter never really existed. And I _might_ know that James Potter was never his father. And I _might_ know that his real father has arranged for him to go to Beauxbatons." Lily grinned, enjoying the shock on the twins' and Luna's faces. Draco soon joined in.

"And I _might_ know that he's going there with one of his cousins. And I _might_ be able to tell you where his other cousin is." The blonde boy said slyly.

"Oh, mysterious ones…"

"...tell us your…"

"...secrets. We Promise…"

"...not to tell!" The twins alternated who spoke, making Lily and Luna giggle while Draco blinked in surprise.

"Well, my parents are close family friends with Hadrian's father so we grew up as cousins along with Hermione, his other cousin. Hadrian is Harry's real name." Lily explained with a smile.

"Sherlock's great! He takes Hadrian with him when he has to work so he actually gets to go to crime scenes! He showed us some photos this summer as he couldn't take all of us!" Draco grinned. In that week when all the kids stayed at Baker Street, Sherlock had become one of Draco's favourite adults.

"Sherlock...where have I heard that name before?" Fred asked musingly.

"Uncle Sherlock works as a Consulting Detective in the Muggle world." Lily replied. Shock and awe flooded the twins' faces.

"You know Sherlock Holmes! His observation skills are legendary! We use them all the time to help with pranks!" George said excitedly. After the revelations, the time passed quickly and quietly. When the sweet trolley arrived, Lily and Draco bought enough sweets to share with their new friends.

While they were laughing and swapping chocolate frog cards, there was another knock on the door.

"Please don't let it be Ron or Ginny!" Lily said quietly. The door opened to reveal an upset looking boy with a round face.

"Have any of you seen a toad? I've lost mine!" The boy asked, sniffing slightly and tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

"Calm down, we've not seen one but I'm sure we can find him." Lily said soothingly while Draco encouraged the boy to sit down and handed him a chocolate frog. Fred and George excused themselves to find their older brother, Percy, who they explained was a prefect and would have to help find the frog in some way.

The boy introduced himself as Neville Longbottom and, while nervous when Draco introduced himself, soon opened up and talked with the others although his concern over losing his toad was still there. Soon, Fred and George returned with an indignantly croaking toad.

"Trevor!" Neville cried, overjoyed that it had turned up.

"No problem mate…"

"...got Percy to…"

"...Summon him. Turns…"

"...out he was…"

"...with Ginny and…"

"...Ron." The twins explained in their unusual way of speaking.

Early on the 2nd of September, Hadrian and Hermione received letters from Draco and Lily at the breakfast table with Élodie's parents. Eagerly, the two finished their breakfast and once they were allowed to leave the table they rushed to the sunroom to read their letters.

_**Dear Hadrian and Hermione,**_

_**We hope you're both enjoying your holiday before school starts for you. Hogwarts is amazing! It's a huge castle and filled with ghosts, paintings and moving staircases! As promised, we'll tell you both which house we got in. Draco is in Slytherin (like there was any doubt!) and I'm a Ravenclaw.**_

_**I'm sure that you both will have been told that we encountered the Weasley family as we were heading to the platform. Well, on the train we had a bit of a run in with the youngest two, Ronald and Ginevra. They were looking for you Hadrian, although they were referring to you by that false name of yours. Shortly after, we were joined by their brothers, the twins Fred and George, with a family friend, Luna Lovegood. The twins are really cool, and they've heard of your dad because of The Work. They apologised for their idiotic siblings and asked if Luna could stay with us while they went to see if they needed to 'rescue' you. They were more than a bit surprised that they didn't and we alluded to the truth, I believe you both will probably get a letter from them too in the next couple of days for ideas on pranks for their siblings. Luna also became a Ravenclaw which I'm glad for, she's actually a year younger than all of us (as is Ginevra) but Luna's father is unwell so she was allowed to come a year earlier. Apparently Dumbledore persuaded the Governors to allow Ginevra to start at the same time so that Luna would have a friend her own age, but Ginevra ditched her!**_

_**I soon found some of the older Ravenclaws trying to pick on Luna and I set them straight using some of those classes that dad made me take. And the best part is, Professor Flitwick (the Charms professor and the Head of Ravenclaw) didn't take any points when he found out why I broke Marietta Edgecombe's nose! Anyway, Luna and I are sharing a room so it means that none of those bullies can get into Luna's stuff.**_

_**We also made friends with a boy named Neville Longbottom when he came to us asking for help in finding his toad. Bless Neville, he's really nice but he's very shy. Hopefully we can help him come out of his shell and be a bit more confident in his abilities, he's fantastic with Herbology and we were talking for ages about the subject once he'd joined us on the train. Neville ended up in Hufflepuff and you can see why, he's so hardworking and loyal. With Fred and George in Gryffindor, our friendship group seems to have all the Houses covered, hopefully we can end this silly rivalry between the houses. I'd better go now, it won't be long until lessons begin.**_

_**Take care you two!**_

_**Love**_

_**Lily**_

Draco's letter was much the same although he didn't have any issues with potential bullies. Both Hadrian and Hermione were glad that they were going to Beauxbatons and so wouldn't have to deal with the duo who were determined to help Dumbledore. They looked forward to hearing from the twins, Luna and Neville, hoping that the four would help look after Lily and Draco at Hogwarts.

A few days later, Hadrian and Hermione were on their way to Beauxbatons with their parents and feeling the same nerves that their friends had felt the previous week. Madame Maxime greeted the families as was her custom and requested a young girl to be Hadrian and Hermione's 'buddy' for the first few weeks, just to make sure that they learned the school properly. Fleur Delacour was thirteen and part-veela. She was pleased that the two spoke fluent French and had no need of translation charms. While more common for pupils to start at aged eight to gain an understanding of the basics, the fact that Hadrian and Hermione had been taught them at home was by no means unusual and, after taking a test to prove that they knew the basics sufficiently, their enrollment in the French school was completed. Beauxbatons had no House system, you simply stayed with your year group but were encouraged to make friends with other years too. So when Hadrian and Hermione wrote home to say that they had become friends with Fleur and her younger sister Gabrielle it was no surprise to anyone, especially as Alexandre and Apolline Delacour had both been on fairly good terms with Sherlock and Élodie while they were at the school.

Hadrian and Hermione settled in well and loved studying at the school, especially as there were more courses on offer compared to Hogwarts. They enjoyed writing to their friends at Hogwarts and were pleased when plans were made for Luna to stay with Lily and the twins to stay with Draco for Christmas as they could all meet up over Christmas. Even better, Augusta Longbottom allowed Neville to visit too, as she was so pleased that he was making friends that she didn't care that one of the families was 'dark'.

Albus Dumbledore paced his office during the Christmas holiday, rage flooding through him. Not only had the Dursleys moved years before, after finding a new home for Harry, but the boy hadn't even shown up to Hogwarts and all letters to him were returned unopened. The only monitor that he had working on the boy was the life-signs one '_At least I know he's alive._' Dumbledore thought with a sigh.

Molly Weasley was fuming when she found out that Harry Potter hadn't turned up, especially when Dumbledore had found out from the Goblins that Harry's biological father was alive and that he was with him. That was all they would tell Dumbledore and he had to threaten to use his powers as Chief of the Wizengamot to even find that out. Molly, upon hearing that Harry would be permanently out of their control, had decided that Ginny needed someone else to become betrothed to and set her sights rather high. She'd told Dumbledore that she intended for her daughter to marry the Holmes scion and that she expected Dumbledore to help persuade the family.

Dumbledore winced, he had met Mycroft Holmes, the boy's uncle, numerous times and knew that the man's nickname 'the Iceman' was well deserved. Had the Holmes family traditionally attended Hogwarts, he knew that Mycroft Holmes would have been a Slytherin for sure. When Harry had failed to turn up, the Ministry began calling for an enquiry into where he was. Things were not going well for Dumbledore...


End file.
